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im thinking of only using 1 layer of IX, because the 3 layer IXUQ has had some condensation issues. and the PL already has a layer of insulation, so in making it with 3 layers of IX not only would you be increasing the weight by a good bit, but youd end up with 5 layers of insulation and 4 layers of nylon "exterior" which id call at least one more layer of insulation, making maybe 6 layers total.

when you double it over, youre going to have roughtly a 3.5 X 5 rectangle to insulate,so a 3 X 5 piece should do you well, and if youre bent on the 3 layers then 3 X 15 will get you there.

when i go to sew it, i think im going to sew it with the seams not lining up. the trim on the PL is about an inch wide, and im thinking having the trim on the bottom fold meet the sewed edge of the trim on the top fold (think pulling back the bottom an inch from being even) so it makes it droop a little bit to make an air gap. im also thinking about leaving an end un sewn to be able to put more in (ie: blue pad, clothes etc), but i want to make sure the IX will stay in place.

and just a word about the 3 layers. from what i understand, insultex is roughly $6/yd so it gets pretty expensive fast.

Give a man fire and he's warm for the night.
Set a man on fire and he's warm for the rest of his life. Dante

Thanks Rev

Your idea makes more sense. I really didn't have any idea of how I was going to do it. My plan is to possibly use this in conjunction with a pad or tq to do a thru hike someday leaving in april or very late march and then hitting more cool air up north in late august early september the latest. Ultimately I'm probably going to make a down uQ just to be safe and save some weight.

well, just a thought that if you know the temps youll be hitting, this plan may be your best bet (price wise) and im thinking that both the TQ im making with one of these and the UQ will fit into my XS granite gear bag (ill test that in a minute and take some pics.) and be smaller than a blue pad.

Give a man fire and he's warm for the night.
Set a man on fire and he's warm for the rest of his life. Dante

first is the UQ laid out on the floor, second & third is just it stuffed into the XS stuff sack and last is both the TQ & UQ in there, which took some finagling (id recommend a small version with this brand) but got in there and still was able to cinch it down a bit as you can see by the straps.

Rev, I was just reading back thru this thread and recalled the "Garlington Taco" developed by Ray Garlington and was wondering if that might work in a PLUQ for additional insulation. Check it out and see what you think. http://www.garlington.biz/Ray/Hammoc.../Insulator.htm

Most of us end up poorer here but richer for being here. Olddog, Fulltime hammocker, 365 nights a year.

i cant say that will be optimal as compared. to me, that looks like an "oh $4!#" setup, and id be worried about a) noise b) condensation c) heat loss at the ends.

my "testing" has been bare skin sleeping, more or less. and while i did use it on a bed, i had the window unit (less than 3ft from me, i can touch it from the bed) cranked to the coldest/max and just one layer of the PL over me kept me comfortable, and with it doubled over (length wise was just a bit too narrow to completely cover my sides to the bed, width wise it wasnt all the way up to my chest when tucked under my feet which would be ok if you had base layers on with socks) i was toasty warm like i was under the big old comforter.

that looks like it could work if you were in a pinch, but really the PLUQ is easy and cheap. price has to be cheaper than the taco since you have to have/buy silni and a space blanket. but it could double as a tarp i guess.

Give a man fire and he's warm for the night.
Set a man on fire and he's warm for the rest of his life. Dante

and if youre thinking about using an emergency blanket with the PLUQ as a middle layer, i think in the big post with all the links there was mention in one of those about using a foil blanket, not sure how that went. if im not mistaken, someone talked about using it under the PLUQ and there were condensation issues, but when inbetween layers there wasnt an issue.

id say just try out the PLUQ first, its cheap (around $25) and easy to make and modify if you need more insulation. heck, you could even not sew insultex in and make it removable so you can adjust temps as you need, lol

I was thinking more about just using the space between the layers of the PLUQ and using the garbage bags as additional insultion if necessary. A couple of garbage bags with a few inches of leaves, etc should help if the temps dropped lower than expected. I had to go back and check, the leaves in a garbage bag was mentioned on 'Just Jeff's Hiking Page.

Most of us end up poorer here but richer for being here. Olddog, Fulltime hammocker, 365 nights a year.